At the November 21 meeting of the Washington History Seminar, Phyllis Leffler of the University of Virginia discussed a ten-year oral history project on Black leaders and their roles in American life she co-directed with Julian Bond. In “Black Leaders and Leadership,” Leffler outlined the views of fifty Black leaders on such topics as family, education, and the inspiration of the Civil Rights movement. The lessons learned are significant and relevant for contemporary America, not least because of their focus on experiences that fueled Black success. Her talk was illustrated with film clips drawn from the interviews.

Phyllis Leffler is the Director of the Institute for Public History and Professor at the University of Virginia. She is the co-author (with Joseph Brent) of Public History: A Philosophy and Paradigm and Public History Readings. She has published award-winning articles in The Public Historian and The Magazine of Virginia History and Biography, and most recently, “Black families and fostering of leadership” (with Hephzibah Strimic-Pawl) in Ethnicities.

A joint venture of the National History Center and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars with the support of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the Washington History Seminar welcomes individuals interested in the historical context of contemporary affairs. Graduate students are especially encouraged to attend. Reservations are requested because of limited seating: HAPP@wilsoncenter.org.